Sacred Dark

if this is the last game in the GANA series, these games definitely ended with a great entry!!

(SPOILERS)

i love how the plot kind of goes back to the origins of the series (things lost) with how mind-screwy it is; from the first time enfys talks about how certain events were a dream, i knew the story was gonna be confusing in the best way haha. i love stories where time and memories seemingly go insane and you can't tell what's real and what's not, and the plot did a fantastic job of making everything feel eerie with how nothing seems to make sense. characters not remembering conversations, entire months passing that were actually dreams, going back to the same locations again and again... it was all so intriguing and i was dying to know what was happening!

but the uneasiness could've easily become overwhelming if it wasn't for the characters, who are all super charming and endearing! as per usual in this series, it's super cool to see characters from other games make appearances in new ones, and getting to learn more about their personality and history. enfys' neverending stoicism and sarcasm about everything is super entertaining (and her hatred of anything not emo related is fcking hilarious), aurinko's endless optimism and curiosity is just as charming as in her game, and sowa is such an adorable dork i love him haha. i feel like their banter (aside from being really funny in general) had a good juxtaposition with the overall mystery of the story and the events. also, i think by making this game you destroyed the minds of at least 95% of horror directors, because the characters in here actually make coherent deductions and reasonable choices XD

(also, VOICE ACTING?? WHAAAT omg that was so cool)

while i was playing, i kept wondering what could everything be leading up to, and man it did not disappoint; the bad end town was SUCH an amazing sequence! not only is the idea of a place with the worst possible versions of every story EXTREMELY cool, but it's also helped by the fact that we've seen all these bad endings in the other GANA games; it really made it feel rewarding to have seen all those endings! and the atmosphere there is super chilling: the extremely dark lighting, the creepy locations, the fact that you teleport to different places seemingly at random... it gave this place such a dangerous and surreal vibe, and i loved every second of it. and the fact that each bad end version can only be defeated by their good end counterpart was really unique, and a really clever explanation of why the characters were manipulated into not bringing millena. and last but not least, hank was there, which automatically elevates any game into certified banger™.

while the story is super intriguing, i did think that some dialogue segments went on for a bit too long without pauses or gameplay, but maybe that's my brain worrying about the miniscule chance of the game crashing and having to play sections again XD oh! but i loved all the references to other GANA games!! it didn't feel gratuitous or fanservice-y, it all worked to make the game feel really conclusive and connect everything that happened in the series so far :D

if this truly is the last GANA game, i'm sad to see this series go but i'm glad it went out with a bang. these games are so incredibly creative, so impressive with their worlds and characters. just the fact that the saga's title is the name of this country already shows how much effort and passion were put into the worlbuilding. and the stories that have been told in this universe have been so intriguing; stories about loss, mystery, religion, the supernatural, how is it to feel like there's more out there than you know, the thoughts and mindsets that appear when you're not sure what to believe in (or when you're too sure)... playing these games and following these stories has been nothing but a treat, and this series will go down in my mind as one of the most creative and passion filled i've ever played since i joined itch.

thank you for making these games, and i can't wait to see what you do next!! <3

I got to Malfinal and the characters said some dialogue about the meaning but I got stuck there nothing else happens :(

A great way to end the first saga. But, of course, We all know how horror movies end. 

ThEy aLwAyS lEaVe rOoM fOr a sEqUel

Nice voicacting. The group of friends are fun. Enfy is still best goth.

I beat this game, I think?

It seemed to boot me back to the title screen suddenly. 

Either way, it was interesting to see the GANA series come to a close.